Flatliners remake trailer shows that Flatlining is still a terrible idea

The first look at Niels Arden Oplev’s Flatliners‘ remake/reboot/possible sequel has finally arrived, and it’s looking like a somewhat glossier take on Joel Schumacher’s gleefully OTT original.

This new take on the story of medical students exploring life after death stars Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons and original Flatliner Kiefer Sutherland. Oplev (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Dead Man Down) directs from a script by Ben Ripley (Source Code).

“In Flatliners, five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience – giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the paranormal consequences of trespassing to the other side.”

The original movie starred Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt and William Baldwin, and it’s a lot of fun. This new film looks like it’s taking itself somewhat more seriously, although at least Norton’s having fun with Kiefer’s signature line there.

Flatliners is released on 29 September. Keep up with the latest genre news with the new issue of SciFiNow.